A Change of Plans

So my plans have been on hold over the last couple of weeks. Back when I posted my last update I was almost setting the actual date then booking the flight.

But then things changed…

About a month ago I told my boss I had decided to go travelling and work abroad and he didn’t want me to go (which boosted by confidence) but I said I was set and wanted to do this before I was 30 and you cannot get the visas anymore. He was okay with this but still didn’t want me to go.

It is important to mention that I am on a 2 year contract and that it ends at the the end of 2011. Therefore I had to start looking at options in case my contract could not be extended.

A couple of weeks ago my boss came to check again that I was set on going and talk about the date I would like to leave. I said September and he was okay with that. The very next day things had changed as another team member had decided to leave. This meant my boss could push for my role to be extended and hopefully expanded and if I was open to taking a break as opposed to leaving completely. I didn’t know what to say. I was having an argument in my head ranging from ‘I should take this offer as the job market is so unstable’ to ‘this isn’t my plan, I wanted to go for a longer time’. My boss gave me a week to think about it before he would ask me again.

I talked it through with my parents, my friend Sian and my sister (also my sports therapist hehe) and looked at all sides and and all options.

My realistic plan was to go to Canada and see what jobs I could find. If I couldn’t find a job I wanted to stay in for a while I had enough money to travel for 3 months. Therefore the minimum amount of time I would be away would be 3 months.

When my boss asked if I would consider the break plan I asked for 3 months. He said yes.

So now the plan is to go to Canada for 3 months. The date is not set yet as I’m working out with my boss the best time to go so that my workload won’t need to be transferred to some else for such a small period of time.

I’m happy about this. I’m less anxious about quitting my job and heading for the unknown and I also feel like I’m going to give my job a second chance. This year has had its ups and downs and I don’t want to feel like I’m running away from my problems. Therefore in the back of my mind I have been wondering whether I just need a break from working and routine. Just get away from it all and focus on myself for a while. This excites me 🙂

So although I started this blog in order to share my big adventure coming up I will continue to blog about all my little adventures in life and those I have while travelling. I’ve really taken to blogging and find it a great outlet for me to share my thoughts and feelings, even if no one reads them 🙂

Your situation of change and adventure sounds very similar to my own–I just recently quit my stable desk job for a shot at creating my own business and doing what I really enjoy. It’s as scary as it is exciting. I look forward to seeing where your journey takes you as well!